Clamping and sticking guide



Oct. 22, 1968 J. GROSS ETAL CLAMPING AND STICKING GUIDE] '0' Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed April 26. 1966 INVENTORS. JOHN GROSS 8| JOSEPH J. HIEGEL Maya, 7M 8 audy ATTORNEYS Oct. 22, 1968 J. GROSS ETAL CLAMPING AND STICKING GUIDE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 26. 1966 INVENTORS.

JOHN GROSS a BY JOSEPH J. HIEGEL Maya/1 7114% 61 Bad;

ATTORNEYS Oct. 22, 1968 J. GROSS ETAL CLAMPING AND STICKING GUIDE 3 Sheets-Sheet Filed April 28, 1966 INVENTORS- JOHN GROSS a JOSEPH J. HIEGEL Meqmf/dwq 5 30d;

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ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,406,553 CLAMPING AND STICKING GUIDE John Gross and Joseph James Hiegel, Salem, Ohio, assignors to E. W. Bliss Company, Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 28, 1966, Ser. No. 546,081 5 Claims. (Cl. 72252) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A strip clamping and guiding apparatus of the type having opposed platens at least one of which is movable relative to the other to grip a strip positioned therebetween. The apparatus includes strip edge guide members mounted on at least one of the platens and provided with first power means for traversing the members tranversely of the platen for engaging and laterally controlling strip of varying widths. Additionally, second power means are provided for selectively giving the strip edge guide members rapid short stroke gripping or ungripping movements irrespective and independent of the position of the gripping members and without regard to energization or deenergization of the first power means.

This invention pertains to the art of feeding and guiding metal strip to work rolls of a rolling mill stand and particularly concerns apparatus which is sometimes referred to as an entry sticker guide.

Various devices have been employed heretofore to guide metal strip through a rolling mill and these guides essentially comprise a plurality of members arranged to maintain the position of the strip laterally and vertically with respect to the work rolls of the mill. To this purpose, top and bottom platens of some form are employed in association with side guides, the platens being adapted to restrict vertical movement of the strip as it passes through the mill with the side members serving to provide lateral alignment of the strip. Inasmuch as the guide is usually permanently mounted on the mill stand housing, it is necessary to separate the upper and lower platens to provide clearance when threading the strip through the first stand of the rolling mill. The platens clamp onto the end of the strip and move forwardly to stick the leading end into the rolls, otherwise they are spaced a few inches apart while the strip is being run except for again clamping the strip to maintain tension and prevent excessive undulations when the trailing end of the strip passes through the rolls.

Heretofore, entry sticker guides in general use included a lower platen having removable wooden facing strips laid side by side, an upper movable platen having removable wooden facing strips similarly arranged and cooperating therewith, a linkage for moving the upper platen into and out of engagement with the lower platen, an hydraulic cylinder for operating the-linkage, means for adjusting the height of the lower platen and an hydraulic cylinder for moving the apparatus as a whole into and out of operating position with respect to the mill with which it is associated.

The wooden facing strips are subjected to wear due to the sliding of the metal strip between the upper and lower platens. As a result, the facing strips are so secured that they may be readily inserted and removed when the occasion demands. Replacing all of the strips from time to time due to wear, however, is rather time consuming and requires the storage of a large quantity of replacement parts for this purpose.

Another problem with prior art entry sticker guides has been in making the width adjustments necessary to accommodate various metal strip widths. At the present time, the side guides on the upper and lower platens are adjusted for strip width by one of two methods; first, one or more of the wooden strips which cover the distance between the side guidesis removed and spacers are placed behind the side guides to reduce the width, or second, one or more of the strips is removed and a power screw attached to the side guides is used to move them closer together. A reverse procedure is used when it is desired to increase the distance to handle wider strip. These methods are time consuming. Moreover, with every change in strip width it is necessary to find the right combination of wooden strips to get the proper width adjustment. This requires a large stock of various width facing strips.

It is the purpose of the present invention to provide an entry sticker guide, the upper and lower platens of which can be rapidly refitted with new facing strips when necessary and the width of which is quickly adjustable to accommodate maximum and minimum widths of strip without the necessity of adding or removing numerous facing strips.

In accordance with the invention, entry sticker guide upper and lower platens are closable on metal strip adapted to move continuously therebetween. One of the platens comprises a pair of side guides between which the strip passes. The side guides are movable in unison toward and away from each other transversely with respect to the direction of strip travel. A pair of side facing strips adjacent each strip edge is movable laterally with each side guide and is closable on the marginal edge of the strip when the platens are in the closed position. And at least one other pair of facing strips is provided intermediate the side facing strips being sufiiciently laterally and vertically movable to provide vertical control at the strip center whereby adjustments for strip width can be made by traversing the side guides in conjunction with the facing strips and strip control is provided without filling the entire platen space with additional facing strips.

Further in accordance with the invention, a quick opening and closing mechanism is provided for each side guide, the arrangement of which permits rapid movement thereof a predetermined distance in a direction perpendicular to the strip edges which movement is superimposed on the slower traversing movement of the side guides.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an entry sticker guide, the upper and lower platens of which are capable of providing lateral and vertical strip control with respect to a rolling mill associated therewith.

Another object is to provide an entry sticker guide of the type referred to in which the side guides are traversable into contact with the opposite edges of the strip without encountering interference from intervening platen facing strips.

Another object is to provide an entry sticker guide wherein the lateral adjustment for strip width is made by varying the side guides in relation to one or more independently, laterally adjustable facing strips providing vertical control for the strip center.

A further object of the invention is to provide quick closing and opening side guides permitting rapid engagement and release of the strip edges.

Other objectives of the invention will become apparent in the description of the preferred embodiment thereof which is set forth herein below. In the description of the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a partially sectioned side elevational view of a preferred embodiment of the invention shown mounted opposite work rolls of the first stand of a 4-high rolling mill;

FIGURE 2 is a partially offset cross-sectional view taken generally along line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing the upper and lower platen area of the entry sticker guide taken along line 3-3 of FIGURE 2; and

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view of the side guide quick opening and closing mechanism.

Referring now to the drawings wherein the showings are merely for the purpose of illustrating the invention and not for the purpose of limiting same, FIGURE 1 shows an entry sticker guide A inserting the leading end of a strip S into a mill M. The guide A is of a type similar to that shown in US. Patent No. 2,890,609 issued June 16, 1959, to the assignee of the present invention. For the most part, the arrangement and operation of .the entry sticker guide A is closely similar to that described in the aforementioned patent, for which reason the description of the present invention will eliminate details which can be obtained by reference to that patent, which details form no part of this invention.

Referring now to FIGURES 2 and 3, the entry sticker guide A is shown to include an upper platen and a lower platen 12 between which the strip S is adapted to travel in the direction indicated by the arrow (FIGURE 1). The lower platen 12 includes right and left traversing blocks 13, 14, each of which is capable of movement transversely to the direction of strip travel in guideways 15. Each block 13, 14 is mounted on a frame 16 adapted to shift longitudinally toward and away from the mill M by means of an hydraulic motor 17 (FIGURE 1). A screw 18 passes through a bore 19 of each traversing block 13, 14 and is journaled at the opposite ends in bearings 20 mounted in the frame 16. The screw 18 is driven by means of a sprocket 21, chain 22 and a drive motor 23, and has right and left hand threaded portions 24, 25 upon which drive nuts 26, 27 are threaded. As shown in FIG- URES 2 and 4, each drive nut 26, 27 is situated between a side plate 28, 29 of each traversing block 13, 14, and a sleeve 30, '31 which is secured in radially spaced surrounding relationship to the screw 18. Surrounding each sleeve 30, 31 is a coil spring 34, 35 acting between the drive nut 26, '27 and opposite side plate 32, 33, the function of which will be described hereinafter.

Referring particularly to FIGURE 2, each traversing block 13, 14 includes a vertical side portion 37, 38 holding side guide plates 39, 40 against which the edges of a strip S abut. A guide frame plate 41, 42 is fastened onto the top of each traversing block 13, 14. Mounted on each guide frame plate 41, 42. is a facing strip assembly 45, 46, each of which includes a board frame 47, 48 to which is secured a wooden facing strip 50, 51 upon which marginal edge portions of the strip S slide. Each facing strip assembly 45, 46 has a release knob 53, 54 (FIGURE 3) at the rearward end thereof removably securing it to the guide frame plate 41, 42 in cooperation with a transverse guideway 55 at the forward end.

The upper platen 10 is movable upwardly relative to the lower platen 12 to the dotted line position 1 by means of a pickup assembly 57 (FIGURE 1). An hydraulic cylinder 58 is activated to raise the upper platen a few inches to position P which is the normal vertical strip control position. A fully raised position P is available for the upper platen 10 due to the coaction of pickup assembly 57 and hydraulic cylinders 58, 59 where the upper platen is elevated upwardly and rearwardly to permit strip threading. Secured to the pickup assembly 57 is an upper platen guide frame 60 which has a traversely extending opening 61. At each side of the upper platen guide frame 60 is secured a facing strip assembly 62, 63, each of which includes a board frame 64, upon which is secured a wooden facing strip 66, 67 which is adapted to slidably engage the upper marginal edge portions of the strip S opposite the lower wooden facing strips 50, 51. Vertical pins 68, 69 extend upwardly from the side guide portions 37, 38 of each traversing block 13, 14 and pass through holes 70, 71 in the upper platen guide frames 64, 65 so that the upper facing strips 66, 67 are connected for lateral movement in unison with the lower facing strips 50, 51. Each of the upper facing strip assemblies 62, 63 also includes a release knob and block assembly 72, 73 (FIGURE 3), each of which comprises a shoulder 74 and a longitudinal slot 75 adapted to receivethe rearward end of each frame 64, 65 and in cooperation with the shoulder 74 and transverse guideway 76, removably holds the facing strip assembly 62, 63 onto the upper platen guide frame 60 while permitting lateral movement along guideway 76 as will be described. I 1

As provided by the invention one or more pairs of additional facing strip assemblies 80, 81 (FIGURE 2) are shiftably secured respectively to the upper platen guide frame 60 and to frame 16'in'1ateral slot 85. These facing strip assemblies 80, 81 cooperate to provide vertical control for the center region of the strip S.

As a further aspect of the invention, each right and left hand traversing block 13, 14 is provided'with a quick opening and closing movement with respect to the edges of strip S. Referring particularly to FIGURE 4 and the traversing block 14, it can be seen that the drive nut 27 incorporates a pair of hydraulic cylinders 90, 91 having plungers 92, 93 which move outwardly under the influence of hydraulic pressure from line 94 against the end plate 29 so as to move the traversing block 14 sideways a predetermined amount indicated by the displacement from the dotted line position T to the position shown where the side guide 40 contacts the edge of strip S. The spring 35 works in opposition to the plungers 92, 93 and biases the traversing block 14 toward the position T, releasing the edges of strip S while at the same time returning plungers 92, 93 to the fully retracted position as pressure is exhausted through line 94.

In operation, when it is desired to make an adjustment for a change in strip width, the platens 10, 12 are separated to release the friction between the guide frame 60 and facing strip assemblies 62, 63 and the right and left hand side guides 39, 40 are traversed to within the reach of quick closing plungers 92, 93 from the edges of strip S. The total width of the lower facing strip assemblies 45, 46, 81 and their counterparts 62, 63, in the upper platen 10 is such as to permit the side guides 39, 40 to be traversed toward each other in suflicient amount to contact the edge of the minimum wide strip before interference is encountered between the wooden facing strips. A quick release of the side guides 39, 40 is obtained by virtue of each spring 34, 35 forcing the traversing blocks 13, 14 to the position T when the hydraulic pressure is exhausted from cylinders 90, 91 in drive nuts 26, 27.

In accordance with the invention therefore, the strip can receive adequate vertical and lateral control without filling the entire platen space with facing strips as in the prior art and the distance between the side guides 39, 40 can be varied quickly from any position without the necessity of adding or removing additional facing strips of various sizes to make up the distance required by the change in strip width.

Having now described a preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that certain further modifications may be made with out departing from the invention as defined in the appended claims except insofar -as limited by the prior art.

We claim:

1. In a strip clamping and guiding apparatus of the type having a pair of opposed platens at least one of which is movable relative .to the other to grip a strip positioned therebetween, and strip edge guide members mounted on at least one of the platens and provided with first power means for selectively traversing the edge guide members transversely of the platen for engaging and controlling strip of varying widths, the improvement comprising second power means for selectively giving at least one of the edge guide members rapid short stroke strip gripping and ungripping movement irrespective and independent of its position transversely of the platen and without regardto energization or deenergization of said first power means. 7

2. The improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein said second power means includes means for providing a resilient biasing force to said edge guide members in at least one direction of their short stroke gripping and ungripping movements.

3. The improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein said second power means includes spring means and fluid piston means arranged to act in opposed relationship.

4. The improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein said first power means includes a rotatable screw member drivingly connected between said edge guide members, and said second power means includes means including fluid pistons interposed between said rotatable screw and each of said side guide members.

5. The improvement as defined in claim 1 wherein said first power means includes a rotatable screw member drivingly connected through non-rotatable nut members with said side guide members and wherein said second power means includes fluid piston means positioned between said nut members and said edge guide members.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,816,467 12/1957 Thoren 72250 2,890,609 6/ 1959 McCafirey 72--205 3,001,680 9/1961 Nitkiewicz 72250 3,058,376 10/1962 Fry 72--250 3,071,032 1/1963 Teplitz 72-250 CHARLES W. LANHAM, Primary Examiner.

E. M. COMBS, Assistant Examiner. 

